Philosophy of Sex and Love ; An Opinionated Introduction

251 Pages·2019·3.696 MB·English

by  Patricia Marino ;b

Philosophy of Sex and Love
Writingfornon-specialistsandstudentsaswellasforfellowphilosophers,thisbook
exploressomebasicissuessurroundingsexandloveintoday'sworld,amongthem
consent,objectification,nonmonogamy,racialstereotyping,andtheneedtorecon-
cile contemporaryexpectationsaboutgenderequalitywithourbeliefsabout how
loveworks.AuthorPatriciaMarinoarguesthatwecannotfullyunderstandthese
issues by focusing only on individual desires and choices. Instead, we need to
examine the social contexts within which choices are made and acquire their
meanings.Thatperspective,sheargues,isespeciallyneededtoday,whenthevalues
ofindividualism,self-expression,andself-interestpermeateourlives.Marinoasks
howwecanfitthesevalues,whichgovernsomanyareasofcontemporarylife,with
thegenerosity,caring,andselflessnessweexpectinloveandsex.
KeyFeaturesof PhilosophyofSexandLove:AnOpinionatedIntroduction
(cid:1) Offers a contemporary, problems-based approach to the subject,
helping readers better understand and address current issues and
controversial questions
(cid:1) Includes coverage of sex and love as they intersect with topics like
disability, race, medicine, and economics
(cid:1) Considers not only the ethical, but also the broadly social and poli-
tical dimensions of sex and love
(cid:1) Includes a helpful introduction and conclusion in each chapter and is
written throughout in a clear and straightforward style, with examples
and signposts to help guide the student and general reader
(cid:1) A comprehensiveand up-to-datebibliographyprovides avaluable tool
for anyone’s further research
Patricia Marino is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo in
Canada,where,inadditiontophilosophyofsexandlove,sheworksinethics,
epistemology,andphilosophyofeconomics.Sheservedasco-presidentofthe
SocietyforthePhilosophyofSexandLovefrom2008to2018,andistheauthor
ofMoralReasoninginaPluralisticWorld(2015).
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Philosophy of Sex and Love
An Opinionated Introduction
Patricia Marino
Firstpublished2019
byRoutledge
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©2019Taylor&Francis
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In memory of Audrey Jennings Marino and Pasquale Marino
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Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 Sex, respect, and objectification 8
Introduction 8
Sex as inherently objectifying: the view of Immanuel Kant 9
Feminist theories of objectification 13
Nussbaum on the varying aspects of objectification 16
Challenges for Nussbaum’s theory 20
Conclusion 21
2 Objectification, autonomy, and pornography 23
Introduction 23
Objectification and social autonomy 24
Social autonomy and adaptive preferences 26
A social perspective on pornography 30
The “pornutopia” and pornography’s falsity 33
Beyond the heterosexual context 35
Conclusion 36
3 Consent and rape law 38
Introduction 38
A short history of the law of consent 39
“‘No’ means no” 41
Communicative sexuality and nonverbal consent 43
The Antioch Policy and verbal consent 48
Affirmative consent, sexual autonomy, and the law 51
Conclusion 52
viii Contents
4 Sex work 54
Introduction 54
Sex work and the law 55
Sex work as a free contractual exchange 57
Sex work, commodification, and the specialness of sex 57
Commercialized sex in context 62
Sexual surrogacy 66
Conclusion 67
5 Union theories of love 69
Introduction 69
Why a theory of love? 70
The union theory and its difficulties 71
The relationship of self and “we” 75
The “we” as a merger of ends and desires 77
Love and irrationality 81
Conclusion 83
6 Concern theories of love 85
Introduction 85
Love as caring concern 86
Disinterestedness and reciprocity 89
Love and autonomy in the union and concern theories 91
Love, autonomy, and deference 93
Love and rationality revisited: appraisal and bestowal 96
Limitless care and the problem of paternalism 98
Conclusion 99
7 Love, fairness, and equality 101
Introduction 101
Union theories and balancing 102
Concern theories and deliberation 105
Equality and fairness 107
Why a theory of love, revisited 110
Conclusion 112
8 Orientations of sex and love 114
Introduction 114
Concepts, terminology, and history 115
The “born that way” and “not a choice” arguments: conceptual
complexities 118
Contents ix
The “born that way” and “not a choice” arguments: ethical and
political complexities 122
Orientations and values of sex and love 125
Conclusion 127
9 Love and marriage 128
Introduction 128
The nature of marriage 129
Is marriage a promise? 130
Gender and the institution of marriage 134
Is marriage bad for love? 139
Conclusion 142
10 Sex, love, and race 143
Introduction 143
Race in cultural context 144
Some problems with racialized preferences 146
Further evaluation: causes and consequences of racialized
preferences 149
Marriage and racial solidarity 154
Conclusion 156
11 Sex, love, and disability 157
Introduction 157
Disability in context 158
Physical disabilities and sexual surrogacy 159
Surrogacy, intimacy, and love 163
Intellectual disabilities and complexities of consent 166
Conclusion 170
12 The medicalization of sex and love 171
Introduction 171
Medicalization and the “Viagra narrative” 172
The social control of women’s sexuality 174
Recent scientific study of women’s sexuality 175
Nonconcordance and the interpretation of desire 178
Lack of desire and eagerness versus enjoying 181
Medicalization of love? 184
Conclusion 187